Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II: Trajectory Lead

Rocket Lab Corporation; Littleton (CO); On-site; USD 135,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Rocket Lab, a leading space systems company, seeks a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II to join the Space Systems team in Littleton, CO. You will design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting and lunar missions, perform orbital propagation, and support mission design with window analysis and delta-V budgeting.

You will collaborate across disciplines, interface with flight software and GNC teams, and contribute to in-house simulation tools, real-time operations, and post-launch data

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or an equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree.
• 8+ years of experience in mission design and flight dynamics.
• Knowledge of orbital mechanics, including spaceflight dynamics and maneuver design.

Responsibilities

• Develop and analyze launch vehicle and spacecraft trajectories, including ascent, orbit insertion, and orbital maneuvers
• Perform orbital propagation, rendezvous planning, and station-keeping analysis for spacecraft operations
• Support mission design including launch window analysis, delta-V budgets, and contingency planning
• Interface with flight software and GNC teams to validate and optimize guidance profiles
• Generate and deliver trajectory data products and flight dynamics support for mission readiness reviews
• Contribute to development of in-house simulation tools and flight dynamics infrastructure
• Support real-time mission operations including anomaly response and post-launch data analysis

Skills

Orbital mechanics

Mission design

Trajectory analysis

Kalman filtering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Space Systems, or an equivalent Engineering or Applied Physics degree

Tools

STK

Astrogator

GMAT

Monte

Copernicus

Git

Jira

Job description

Rocket Lab, a leading space systems company, seeks a Senior Flight Dynamics Engineer II to join the Space Systems team in Littleton, CO. You will design and analyze trajectories for Earth-orbiting and lunar missions, perform orbital propagation, and support mission design with window analysis and delta-V budgeting.

You will collaborate across disciplines, interface with flight software and GNC teams, and contribute to in-house simulation tools, real-time operations, and post-launch data